Flaming Golden Gate in Chaos

The Flaming Golden Gate was thrown into turmoil.

A cultivator at the Resolution Stage had suddenly appeared.

For the sect, already suffering from a lack of high-level cultivators, this should have been cause for celebration.

However, they had misplayed their first move.

“Hahaha! You’re alive! Truly, I’m grateful—thank you for staying alive! Hahaha! You haven’t forgotten the past, have you? Good. Now, die.”

And it wasn’t just Bang Ryunil causing trouble.

“Come out immediately!”
“How dare a criminal show their face here? Such shamelessness!”
“Are you mocking the Flaming Golden Gate? Not even bowing and begging for forgiveness!”
“Don’t hold back—deal with him harshly.”

A horde of Condensation Stage elders rushed in, creating chaos.

Had things turned out differently, this might have been a grand celebration. But, as things stood, the outcome was far from joyous.

“Come forth, oh pathetic pawns of the Celestial Realm!”

A wave of spiritual energy swept through the area.

“…?”
“!!”
“What the… madness?!”
“Could it be… Resolution Stage?!”
“Impossible! Wasn’t he… ten years ago…?”
“Aaagh!”
“Cough!”

The moment Kalstein unleashed even a fraction of his spiritual power, the color drained from everyone’s faces.

Even the Condensation Stage cultivators suffered internal injuries just from enduring his oppressive energy.

Everyone fell silent, realizing that something had gone horribly wrong.

However, one person couldn’t accept the reality before them.

“That’s impossible! This must be sorcery! Die!”

Suppressing his terror, Bang Ryunil lunged forward, pulling three talismans from his robes and hurling them into the air.

The talismans shimmered, transforming into venomous serpents with fangs bared, lunging toward Kalstein.

“Oh, talisman arts?”

Kalstein’s tone was bored as he casually rummaged through his belongings.

“Let’s see how this works.”

With a flick of his wrist, he scattered hundreds of talismans into the air.

“!!”

The resulting explosions rippled out in a relentless chain reaction, engulfing Bang Ryunil in a storm of fire and debris.

Despite being low-grade firebomb talismans, their sheer number—over a hundred—made up for their lack of potency.

“Aaaaagh!”

Bang Ryunil’s screams echoed, while Kalstein surveyed the scene with mild amusement.

“Well, well. Pretty clever, aren’t they? Cunning, too. Are all cultivators like this?”

The disciples of the Flaming Golden Gate, who moments earlier had rushed in with bravado, now quietly retreated. They left Bang Ryunil, blinded by rage, to act without interference.

“Aren’t you on the same side as him?”

Kalstein’s question left the room silent, every cultivator frozen in place.

“Well, I suppose an example is in order.”

Kalstein began preparing to act, prompting a wave of panic.

“Stop! Stop, please!”
“You can’t! Elder Bang is connected to Elder Bang Yeon!”
“This can’t happen!”
“Don’t do it!”

Oh, but yes.

With a single clean motion, a sharp slicing sound echoed through the air.

Thud.

Bang Ryunil’s severed head hit the ground with a sickening noise, his lifeless body crumpling soon after.

As the fiery glow of the explosions dimmed, a small dagger returned to Kalstein’s hand.

He wiped its blade clean with deliberate ease.

“How could this…?”
“What are we supposed to do now?”
“The direct bloodline of Elder Bang Yeon…!”
“This is… absurd.”
“Unbelievable.”

The Flaming Golden Gate disciples were stunned, paralyzed by shock and horror.

“Hmm? Why are they acting like this? Old man, is Resolution Stage a big deal here? Or is it weaker than I thought?”

[Figure it out yourself. Judging by their reaction, the one you just killed wasn’t some run-of-the-mill cultivator.]

“Bang Ryunil was part of Elder Bang Yeon’s direct bloodline.”
“Oh, you mean Ilhong’s Primordial Elder? Let’s see… that would make him Essence Formation Stage, right? But why the sudden formality?”
“Too many eyes are watching… but that’s not the point….”

The disciples continued murmuring in confusion.

‘They’re worried about the wrong thing. Am I so insignificant?’

Kalstein smirked, nodding to himself.

“Well, I guess I’ll give you something to really worry about.”

From his robes, Kalstein began pulling out artifact after artifact.

“What…?”
“How does he have so many?”
“Is that even possible?”

The sheer number of artifacts—over fifty—was staggering enough. But when Kalstein began activating all of them simultaneously, it defied all comprehension.

Screams filled the air.

“Aaagh!”
“My eyes!”
“Ugh!”
“Cough!”

A massacre.

In mere moments, five heads flew into the air, painting the scene in red.

Blood splattered like crushed tomatoes, leaving everyone frozen in horror.

“Well, that settles it. Always best to make an example of those who can’t keep their mouths shut,” Kalstein remarked casually.

The crowd’s jaws hung open, their wide eyes betraying pure terror.

“He’s insane.”
“How could this happen… in the Flaming Golden Gate?”
“A monster…”

One among them broke away from the group, dropping to his knees.

“S-senior! We were wrong! Please forgive us—”

“Elder Son!”

Before the plea was even finished, Elder Son’s head exploded like a ripe fruit.

The crowd recoiled in shock, staring at Kalstein with horror-stricken faces.

What kind of madman could do such a thing with such ease?

“Huh?”

Kalstein, feigning innocence, looked genuinely offended.

The remaining elders of the Flaming Golden Gate were paralyzed with grief and disbelief.

Had they truly been dealing with a lunatic all along?

“What? Oh, that wasn’t me. I didn’t do that,” Kalstein said, a picture of exaggerated indignation.

If not him, then who?

Boom!

A sudden weight pressed down on the air, forcing the Condensation Stage elders hovering above to crash to the ground like withered leaves.

“What disgrace! How far do you intend to drag the Flaming Golden Gate’s reputation through the mud?”

Descending from the sky was an old man, his twin gray braids swaying as he walked forward with measured steps.

Kalstein tilted his head, grinning.

“Wow… That hairstyle… Bold choice.”

“Elder Sim Sabaek!”

“Cough… Please forgive us…!”

“Ugh.”

A fine mist began to gather around them, the air thickening ominously as the old man’s aura spread.

“Hmm.”

Sim Sabaek.

One of the few mid-stage Resolution cultivators still holding the Flaming Golden Gate together.

He stroked his beard as his sharp eyes scanned the corpses littering the ground.

A frown crossed his face when he saw the six bodies, but his focus soon shifted to Kalstein.

The elder’s gaze was razor-sharp, brimming with restrained fury.

“It seems you lack mercy, sir,” Sim Sabaek said coldly.

His voice, laden with anger, bore down on Kalstein.

Kalstein, however, remained relaxed, almost amused.

“Should I start talking like that too? You know, all refined and condescending?”

[This lunatic still doesn’t take anything seriously…]

Clearing his throat, Kalstein mimicked Sim Sabaek’s tone, puffing out his chest and smiling serenely.

“Ahem. Elder Sim, do you believe I should have forgiven these arrogant fools? Hmm?”

His grin widened into a mockery of a sage’s gentle smile.

“Haha. If so, then I must say, I’m disappointed.”

“These individuals acted out of ignorance of your power,” Sim Sabaek replied. “Had you revealed your rank from the start, the Flaming Golden Gate would have welcomed you.”

“What’s done is done. Moving forward, perhaps we could engage in a more constructive dialogue?”

“That would be wise. But first…”

The tension crackled between them like static before Sim Sabaek made his decision.

“Let us determine whether you have the skill to challenge the Flaming Golden Gate within its own domain!”

Kalstein burst out laughing.

“Haha! For all your formal words, you’re quite the fiery one!”

Before Kalstein even finished speaking, Sim Sabaek made his move.

“Blazing Golden Barrier Formation!”

At his command, the faint mist thickened into a heavy, oppressive fog, tinged with a fiery red hue.

Kalstein raised an eyebrow as he observed the phenomenon.

“Huh…”

Clang!

A golden spike erupted from the ground, aimed directly at his heart.

Clang!

Kalstein manipulated his spiritual energy like a barrier, deflecting the spike.

But the attacks didn’t stop.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

More golden spikes emerged, their numbers increasing with each passing moment.

“Wow… Impressive.”

[You do realize you haven’t learned anything beyond puppetry and basic cultivation techniques, right?]

“That’s true,” Kalstein admitted with a shrug.

Despite his casual tone, the situation was growing dire.

Clang! Clang! Swish!

A spike grazed his ear, drawing a thin line of blood.

[Be careful. This one’s good—surprisingly so, for someone from the lower realms.]

“Yeah, didn’t expect him to go straight for the kill,” Kalstein muttered.

The fiery red mist closed in, suffocating him as golden spikes continued their relentless assault.

“Is this some kind of formation technique?”

[Obviously.]

This meant Sim Sabaek had been preparing to strike long before the confrontation began.

From the mist came his mocking voice.

“Surely you’re not sullying the Flaming Golden Gate’s honor with this pitiful display, are you?”

Beneath the mockery, his voice trembled with barely contained rage.

“Hahaha. So that’s how it is,” Kalstein chuckled.

Though Sim Sabaek’s spiritual energy was significantly weaker than Kalstein’s, his use of formation techniques amplified its potency severalfold.

‘The power of this formation is beyond expectations.’

Unlike Kalstein’s straightforward manipulation of spiritual energy, Sim Sabaek used refined techniques to maximize his efficiency.

Clang! Clang!

Golden spikes filled the area, their deadly points forcing Kalstein on the defensive.

Still, he smiled.

“So much to learn. I love it.”

“What nonsense are you spouting now? This is no time for idle chatter.”

“You’ll see soon enough,” Kalstein replied.

With that, he unleashed a layered shield of basic defensive techniques, giving himself a moment to breathe.

A startled gasp echoed from the mist.

“What… What kind of monstrous spiritual energy is this?!”

Sim Sabaek quickly regained his composure.

“Even so, you’re no better than a child, clumsily throwing your power around. You can’t last long!”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The golden spikes pressed in, unrelenting.

[Stop toying with him already. If you’re not careful, Ilhong and Yuyu could get caught in this.]

“Alright, alright,” Kalstein said, finally relenting.

His hair began to rise as if defying gravity, glowing faintly under the oppressive mist.

“Hoo…”

Kalstein released the limiter on his spiritual energy, letting it surge out in full force.

Compared to other Resolution Stage cultivators, his energy was seventeen times greater, a torrent that filled the entire battlefield.

“What… What is this?!”

Sim Sabaek’s voice, for the first time, betrayed genuine fear.

“Hmm. Looks like just ten times my energy will be enough to crush this formation without any advanced techniques,” Kalstein mused.

Crack! Sizzle!

The formation began to falter under the sheer weight of his power.

“So you’re saying this formation amplifies your energy tenfold? Interesting.”

[Don’t get cocky. Formations are tricky—don’t underestimate them.]

Still, the fact that Kalstein had turned the tide with raw power alone was undeniable.

Grinning ear to ear, he began firing wild blasts of energy, laughing all the while.

[Why aren’t you using your absurd artifacts?]

“Eh, this is more fun.”

[Unbelievable…]

Boom! Crack!

Sim Sabaek’s formation shattered like glass under Kalstein’s onslaught, leaving behind a vacuum of power.

As the spiritual energy settled, a single figure dropped from the air, his body hitting the ground with a dull thud.

Kalstein stared at the crumpled form, chuckling.

“This world… truly has its uses.”

The remaining disciples, trembling on the sidelines, dared not move a muscle.

“Any other challengers?”

Not a soul dared step forward.